Ross Mirkarimi: Political ambulance chaser

D5 Supervisor Mirkarimi is demagoging the city's gun violence issue:

San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi blasted the mayor, police chief and district attorney following Thursday morning's shooting. Mirkarimi, who represents the neighborhood on the city's Board of Supervisors, said he came out to the scene of both shootings...Mirkarimi called for "an aggressive intervention to deal with the gun violence that's occurring between different housing developments." ("Pair of shootings rattle Western Addition housing," The City Star, June 15, 2007)

This is pure demagoguery, since Mirkarimi is implying that simply assigning city cops to an area can solve our Punks with Guns problem. And having a politician show up at a crime scene is the last thing city cops need. 

Mirkarimi has also done this after traffic accidents involving Muni, supposedly to show the D5 community his concern. The community would be better served if he stayed home and out of the SFPD's way, saving the demagoguery for the next day's press conference.

After the recent shootings in D5, Mirkarimi singled out District Attorney Kamala Harris for rebuke:

The supervisor said he is frustrated with District Attorney Kamala Harris's failure to aggressively prosecute cases he's referred to her office. "The district attorney needs to start prosecuting cases that show people you can't commit violent crime with impunity," Mirkarimi said. "You have---literally---elementary school kids and teenagers carrying guns and shooting people and not knowing the difference between right and wrong. If their parents and guardians have abdicated their ability[sic], then someone needs to step up to the plate."

Mirkarmi knows that the district attorney can only prosecute cases that have enough evidence to take to court. Implying that Harris is simply derelict in her duty is an unconvincing slur. But the Murk finally seems to be arriving at a glimmer of insight when he refers to the shocking incidence of youngsters that think it's cool to shoot others over petty disputes. 

The reality is that the whole Punks with Guns issue is a national and international problem, fusing the easy availability of handguns with the toxic rap/hip-hop culture that encourages gun violence, not to mention contempt for women and gays.

Does the Murk really think the district attorney, the police chief, and the mayor are supposed to "step up to the plate" by getting involved in the family lives of the Punks with Guns? Ridiculous. 

But the Murk demands a "plan" from city officials:

The supervisor said it's been an "agitating"[sic] experience trying to get coordinated violence prevention services from the city's juvenile probation, recreation and parks and workforce development departments to combat the Western Addition's spike in violence."Today I'm all over the mayor and all over the police chief and all over city agencies to give me a detailed plan," as to how they're going to provide a safe summer, Mirkarimi said.

The Murk is a perfect example of the progressive mindset that thinks there's a program to solve every social problem. The Punks with Guns just need jobs and better recreation facilities!

What the city---and the country---really needs is a war against the ugly rap/hip-hop culture that validates gun violence, misogyny, and homophobia, but there hasn't been a peep from the city's progressive community about the deep cultural roots of the current wave of gun violence.